Scotland’s Deposit Return scheme will give industry, business and individuals the opportunity to drive sustainable economic growth while reducing their impact on the environment.
The wide-ranging social and economic benefits of the proposed scheme were published on 10 July.
Deposit Return encourages people to return to stores, increasing trade and creating jobs, and secures a new source of high quality material. It’s also expected to reduce the £46 million of public money spent each year on removing litter and flytipping, while the carbon savings are anticipated to be the equivalent to taking 85,500 cars off the road.
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham MSP said:
“Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme will not only be an effective way of increasing recycling rates and reducing litter, but also provide a major opportunity to secure a new source of high quality material, develop our recycling infrastructure and create jobs as part of our ambition to drive the circular economy.
“This is an opportunity for us all – industry, business and individuals - to transform our approach to production and use of raw materials, and consider the environmental impact of our actions as we continue on our journey towards becoming a net-zero society.”
Jill Farrell, Chief Operating Officer, Zero Waste Scotland, said:
"Putting a 20p deposit on bottles and cans places a value on the packaging and gives people an extra incentive to look after it. Because the glass, plastic and metals will be captured separately, the quality of the materials will be high, allowing them to be recycled over and over again.
“By turning bottles into more bottles, and cans into more cans, we can get the best economic return on our resources and reduce the damaging emissions that are contributing to the global climate emergency.”
Kenneth Gibson MSP added:
“The SNP Government recognises that as well as by cutting litter and pollution, we can achieve significant economic benefits by developing the circular economy.
“Following the public consultation and the Cabinet Secretary’s announcement of the Scottish bottle deposit scheme back in May, a detailed implementation plan for the scheme is being developed, supported by an Implementation Advisory Group which represents key stakeholders across industry, business and retail.
“There will also be the opportunity to comment on the proposed approach when draft legislation is published later this year.
“When this scheme is implemented, I look forward to seeing a cleaner North Ayrshire with less litter on the streets and plastic in our seas.”
The Deposit Return Scheme’s Full Business Regulatory Impact Assessment, together with the Full Equality Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment: Post Adoption Statement are available on the Scottish Government website.
For more information about the scheme, please visit the online hub for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme.
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